Mechanics Buy These Cars–Here’s Why.
Unless you are looking to step into the specialty classics market, where you refurbish vintage vehicles and sell them at auction, it would only make sense to buy used vehicles with little need to fix-up before selling. It prevents cutting into your profit margin. So buying more reliable vehicles that hold up past their 100000 km mark are the best options.
USA Today has a list of most reliable and efficient vehicles with only Japanese and Korean imports on it, and Toyota and Honda are sitting pretty at first and second respectively. There are a number of makes and models that have earned their stripes over the years–from domestic makes to imports, but there are always two brands that sit on the top of the list–why?
Toyotas and Hondas are notoriously reliable and have been since the 70’s. Both companies boast incredible fuel efficiency and manufacturing standards. Toyota is pretty adamant on only using “battle-tested” technologies in their vehicles. Pretty stubborn to a point in using relatively ancient equipment that has proven to last. But even with rigorous testing and engineering, maintenance is relatively inexpensive. Parts and services come at a much lower cost than some European and North American makes.
This 2016 Toyota Corolla LE is sitting on our Red Deer lot waiting for its forever home. It’s 1.8 litre 4 four cylinder engine purrs under the hood while you lounge in heated seats next to it’s automatic transmission. At only 58,232 km it has a long stretch of road ahead of it. And to sweeten the deal it still has its manufacturer’s warranty.
Another reason they come so recommended is because of their popularity. The Honda Civic has been Canada’s number one pick for 20 years running. And both the Toyota Camry and Corolla are some of the toughest cars to kill on the road today. Back in the 70’s when they were starting to prove and maintain their superiority, a lot of people started to abandon the domestic let-downs and the legends began. The two companies have grown followings with almost cult like enthusiasm now. With thousands of modifications and custom designs that can bring a tear to a fan’s eye. It wasn’t until decades later that North American manufacturers started to really up their game and play catch up.
Sure, buying these brands new off of the lot is a little more expensive and they hold a pretty good resale value, but it’s worth it. When you are driving a ten or fifteen year old car that has little need for more money to be thrown at it, you don’t have to feel like you put your savings in a blender.
One thing to consider is that YES Toyotas and Hondas are reliable top picks because of their reputation. They’ve withstood the test of time. But other import and domestic manufacturers have impeccable standards and reliability as well. Imports like Kia and Hyundai from Korea have been gaining all sorts of steam since 2010. As well, other Japanese companies like Nissan and Mazda. In the last few decades the safety and reliability rating of domestic makes like Ford and Chevrolet have been on the rise.
